“A Delectable Confection”

The first time I heard these words was from my DH not long after we were married. It was to me (and still is), the cutest term of endearment I had ever heard. My hubby has an adorable sense of humor and this little phrase has been passed back and forth for many years.

Literally, Laduree has the “Delectable Confection” issue all sewn up with their mind-boggling pastel macaroons and their much envied pastel packaging. I think people are almost as much in love with the Easter-colored packages as the delicious contents!

I came across a wonderful blog this week with the most inspiring crafting techniques for the Easter/Spring holidays called Such Pretty Things. Jessica writes a very fun posting called Target Tuesdays where she really could put Martha’s crafting skills on notice. Above are some of her gorgeous Easter/Spring images all displaying not only beautiful craft ideas, but a gelato profusion of pastel colors.

Karen Sugarman Interiors

Junior League of Boston Showhouse - Breakfast Room - Westwood, MA

Better Homes and Gardens  Window and Wall Ideas

Mary Drysdale

Karen Sugarman Interiors

Drawing Room

Commandant's House - Charlestown Navy Yard

Jeffrey Bilhuber via Cote de Texas

Karen Sugarman Interiors

Princess and The Pea Bedroom

Junior League of Boston Showhouse - Dedham, MA

Pastel colors have long been a favorite of mine when designing interiors. There is a serene and comforting quality to the whisper of the diffused colors. Dramatic and dark rooms are always sophisticated, but much like a “diva friend”, they can be exhausting and numbing after too much drama.

Marie's Folly Bracelet - Pastel Tourmaline, Aquamarine and Beryl

With all these beautiful Easter/Spring colors in my head, I just completed a new bracelet design called Marie’s Folly. It is a magnificent combination of pastel tourmaline briolettes flanked by gorgeously organic aquamarine/beryl pastel slices. Pastel tourmaline is actually in short supply as it is found in Afghanistan in remote and very dangerous regions.

Knowing that Marie Antoinette had a great fondness for all things pastel, I feel certain that she would have approved of this “delectable confection”. Tweet

Beloved Generations – Green Amethyst Nuggets, Tourmaline & Antique Locket Necklace

Whenever I am fortunate enough to find a pretty locket with a family of old photos, it is a bittersweet discovery to know that the history of entire generations has either been given away or possibly sold during a period of hard times. Such was the case when I located this precious antique locket preserved with family photos of a young girl and what appear to be her mother and father. My mind wanders to the circumstances that led to the locket eventually ending up with an antique dealer - for sale, to the person that will pay a pittance for such a rich legacy.

The Beloved Generations necklace is composed of Alexandrite colored green amethyst nuggets and rondelles that culminate in a “frill” of multicolored tourmaline rondelles and a single watermelon tourmaline slice - highlighting the sweet memory of a locket from a bygone era. The antique gold filled locket provides its own provenance with original hand colored photos more than likely from the Victorian Era. The necklace portion measures 26” with a generous “frill” and feature watermelon slice bead more than 2” long before it culminates at the lovely old locket. The total drop of the frill & locket measures 5” long.

With a historic pedigree, the Beloved Generations necklace was inspired by a room I designed for the Junior League of Boston’s Silver Anniversary Showhouse – another home with pedigree, the Michael Curley Estate in Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts. Michael Curley was the very controversial multi-term mayor of Boston with a bit of a “Robin Hood Syndrome”. He succinctly thumbed his nose at the Boston Brahmins when the Curley estate was built, by adding shamrock shutters to the house.

In a nod to the historic background of the Curley home, where very famous and some infamous personalities visited – the upstairs great room was dubbed “The Ambassador’s Club” with acknowledgement to the Curley legacy. This formal yet lighthearted great room space had formerly been two bedrooms in the family home. The rich, clear colors of the room as well as the chenille “Fleur de Lis” sofas were selected for their durability and comfort, as well as their cheeky comment to the capricious diplomatic wallpaper.

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